This bill would allow qualifying workers who pay into the State Disability Insurance to use their Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefits to care for a designated person who is a member of their chosen or extended family.
 

PFL is entirely paid for by employee contributions but can only be used to care for a list of specified family members and is NOT inclusive of all care relationships. SB 590 will ensure that workers can access the PFL benefits they already pay for to care for a member of their chosen or extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews).

Being admitted to a hospital can be a stressful and overwhelming experience. For a person with dementia, it can also be confusing and frightening. They may not understand why they are in the hospital, be disoriented, and unable to communicate. A caregiver can play an important role in ensuring that the needs of patients with dementia are met. Yet many caregivers have been restricted in accompanying the person with dementia throughout the duration of their stay. This bill will ensure that people with dementia have access to a caregiver while hospitalized.

AB 960 will require hospitals to allow a patient with physical, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities and patients with cognitive impairment, including dementia, or another disability to have a family or friend caregiver with them, including beyond standard visiting hours

SB 412 would require, on or after January 1, 2026, home care aides to complete a training related to the needs of patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia as part of their biannual registration renewal. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) would facilitate these ongoing trainings. Home care organizations would also add dementia care as part of their orientation to their affiliated home care aides.

In 2015, SB 137 (Hernández) required health plan provider directories to contain updated information on in-network health providers so consumers could more easily choose their health professionals. Compliance with this law has been severely lacking, resulting in provider directories with high rates of inaccuracy, making it difficult for consumers to engage providers affiliated with their health plans. AB 280 will improve access to care by authorizing a third-party central utility to improve the accuracy of provider directories.

Senate Bill 470 extends the changes enacted by SB 544 (Laird, Chapter 216, Statutes of 2023), modernizing the Bagley-Keene Act to maintain important disability and public access to state board and commission meetings through remote participation.